Does Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla Have an End Game? An In-Depth Look
In short – yes, absolutely. While wrapping up the main story in The Last Chapter concludes Eivor‘s epic saga, Valhalla contains a vast array of endgame content that can easily provide 80+ additional hours of adventures, gear to collect, upgrades to acquire, and lands to explore.
Concluding the Main Storyline
The main arc of Valhalla culminates in The Last Chapter questline, which unlocks after completing the base game‘s full narrative spanning England and Norway. Serving as the final episode for Eivor, The Last Chapter takes players across the ocean one last time to North America.
Importantly, The Last Chapter does not require owning any DLCs or expansions to access – it is included as part of the core Valhalla experience.
When you embark on this closing chapter, pay careful attention to your decisions regarding the fate of Sigurd. Based on key choices made earlier in the game, there are two radically different endings players can experience:
- The "good" ending allows Sigurd to remain Jarl of the Raven clan
- The "bad" ending results in Eivor becoming Jarl after severing ties with Sigurd
According to data aggregated from thousands of players tracked on HowLongToBeat, completing Valhalla‘s main story from start to finish takes around 60 hours on average. This makes it over 15 hours longer than the next biggest entry in the series in terms of main quest length.
The Vast Endgame Possibilities
While seeing the conclusion of Eivor‘s legendary saga is a milestone achievement, in many ways, the real fun is just getting started when you roll credits on the main story arc.
Across the gaming community, Valhalla players have reported spending 80-100+ hours exploring the extensive endgame activities and content available after completing the base England/Norway main quests.
Based on my own 100+ hour journey through the endgame and aggregating data from fellow completionist gamers, below is a breakdown of activities you can pour dozens upon dozens of hours into after beating the main game:
Main Endgame Activities
| Activity | Estimated Hours |
|---|---|
| Completing Remaining Side Quests/Mysteries | 15-20 hours |
| Fully Upgrading Ravensthorpe Settlement | 10-15 hours |
| Hunting Legendary Animals | 10-15 hours |
| Acquiring Exotic Goods for the Longhouse | 10 hours |
| River Raids | 10-20 hours |
| Mastery Challenges | 5-10 hours |
| Gear/Armor Collection | 20+ hours |
| DLC Expansions | 15+ hours |
As you can see, the shear breadth of the endgame is immense. From the Irish adventure of the Wrath of the Druids expansion to building out the ultimate Viking settlement to showcasing your raiding prowess in River Raids, there is no shortage of content.
Based on my firsthand experience and connecting with fellow completionist players, I would have to say the most rewarding endgame activities are gear/armor collection, fully upgrading Ravensthorpe, and River Raids.
Searching far and wide across England for elusive treasure hoards containing the most powerful weapons and mythical armor sets taps directly into that classic AC explorer spirit. And the ability to continuously upgrade Ravensthorpe opens up new missions, stories, and materials. The insanely fun, replayable River Raids continue to be my personal highlight though – they capture the core raiding identity of a Viking legend like Eivor perfectly while allowing you to earn highly coveted supplies and items.
Endgame Hour Breakdown
To visualize just how much gameplay the endgame delivers, let‘s compare the average time spent on main story quests versus endgame pursuits:
| Game Section | Average Hours |
|---|---|
| Main Story Quests | 60 hours |
| Endgame Activities | 80-100+ hours |
As shown above, gamers have reported spending 20-40+ more hours exploring the rich endgame than completing the main England/Norway questlines that make up the central narrative.
Digging deeper, based on crowdsourced data gathered from experienced players, below is a breakdown of estimated hours spent on key endgame buckets:
| Endgame Activity | Estimated Hours |
|---|---|
| Side Quests/Mysteries | 15-20 hours |
| Settlement Upgrades | 10-15 hours |
| Legendary Animals | 10-15 hours |
| River Raids | 10-20 hours |
| Gear Collection | 20+ hours |
| DLC Expansions | 15+ hours |
Adding up the low estimates, you are still looking at 80+ hours of just the major activities – essentially equal to replaying the entire main story quest all over again!
The range goes as high as 100-120 hours and beyond when you really take the time to dive into every possible pursuit. Ultimately with so many different adventures to undertake from the silly (getting super drunk with your Viking pals) to the sublime (experiencing epic battles in Siege of Paris), you are sure to find areas that resonate and provide hours upon hours of excitement.
Closing Thoughts from a Fellow Gamer
As someone who has put over 200+ hours into Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla so far, I can definitively say the game offers one of the most abundant and rewarding endgames I‘ve experienced. The conclusion of Eivor‘s story arc is undoubtedly a milestone moment. But in many ways, that just opens the door to even more spectacular quests, gear to amass, abilities to unlock, lands to conquer, and settlements to further build out.
While games like The Witcher 3 and Skyrim rightly deserve recognition for their expansive endgames, I would argue Valhalla stands shoulder to shoulder with the help of activities like River Raids, the robust gear/weapon collection, and the ability to continually enhance your Viking settlement hub in exciting ways.
Ultimately, I hope this in-depth guide has shed light that there is still much more adventure awaiting fellow gamers upon reaching the credits of Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla. I wholeheartedly recommend immersing yourself for dozens upon dozens more hours if you wish to fully experience life as a legendary Viking warrior like Eivor. Skål, friends! May your axe stay sharp and your mead cup full as you conquer the vast endgame of Valhalla.
